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Two election observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe may be wondering whether Texas deserves its reputation for being so friendly. And with good reason.

Last week, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott raised the possibility of criminal sanctions if the observers — women from Denmark and Great Britain — “maintain a presence within 100 feet of a polling place's entrance.” In doing so, he created something of an international incident.

Abbott was merely restating a section of the state's Election Code, but doing so in an unnecessarily menacing way. The United States is a full member of the OSCE. Its observers have been watching U.S. elections since 2002, without incident.

Why, in 2012, is Abbott raising the prospect of an international criminal conspiracy interfering with Texas elections? It might have something to do with the Republican attorney general's plans in 2014 — whether he seeks re-election or possibly runs for governor. Thumbing your nose at foreigners, especially ones who have a tangential connection to the United Nations, plays well with a certain segment of GOP primary voters.

The two ladies from Europe are not here to interfere, and they don't pose a threat to the Lone Star State or the sanctity of its electoral process. A spokesman for Texas Secretary of State Hope Andrade said “any characterization of this team as election monitors is false.”

The OSCE observers must follow the state's election laws, just like anyone else. But certainly there's a friendlier, more Texan way for the state's highest law enforcement official to convey that message to visitors who have traveled a long way than threatening to throw them in jail. Texan hospitality shouldn't be another victim of election-year politics.